Pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-18 and its relationship with the bowel disease research.doc

 PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 16 Pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-18 and its relationship with the bowel disease research 1995, Okamura and other nude mice from endotoxin shock in liver cells isolated and cloned a can induce IFN-γ of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, and named IFN-γ inducing factor (interferon  gamma  inducing factor , IGIF). 1996 Ushio et al [1] the first cloned human IGIF of cDNA, and further study found that IGIF can not only induce IFN-γ , but also a variety of other biological functions, then has it a newly discovered pro-inflammatory cytokines renamed IL-18 (interleukin-18, IL-18). 1 IL-18 biological structure Human IL-18 precursor protein contains 193 amino acids, molecular weight of about 24kD. 1997, Gu et al [2] study found that IL-18 precursor protein contains a structural similarity with the IL-1β characteristic sequence. The sequence through the IL-1β -converting enzyme (ICE) can be cut to become active IL-18, which contains 157 amino acids, molecular mass of 18.3 kD. Gu and other results of this study will be published in the year ‘SCIENCE’ journal. 2 IL-18 in a variety of biological functions and its mechanism Today, in-depth series of studies have confirmed that IL-18 is a complex multi-functional cytokines. IL-18 can not only promote the T cells and NK cells to produce IFN-γ , IL-2 and GM-CSF and other cytokines, and can enhance the Th1 cells and NK cells to express Fas ligand, and thus mediated cytotoxicity, and it can promote the development of Th1 cells. In the past that the IL-18 can not be activated Th2 cells [3], but in 2001 Nakanishi et al [4] research suggests that IL-18 may also enhance production of Th2 cytokines and to promote IgE synthesis. In addition, IL-18 may also be through activation of AP1 (activator protein-1), signal transduction and activator of transcription (signal transducer and activator of transcription, STAT), NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T cells) and so on to play its wide range of cell fun